A gunman opened fire at rival gang members in a car chase which turned Sutton Common Road into a scene reminiscent of a Hollywood action movie.

The armed passenger was seen leaning from a grey VW Golf blasting at a green BMW near Glenthorne High School on Friday afternoon.

A third car, a gold Astra also involved in the chase, crashed into another vehicle leaving its driver suffering from whiplash.

Two men ran from the crashed Astra along Ridge Road with one of the men jumping into the Golf which sped off towards Stonecot Hill.

Later that day police officers were called to Wandsworth, where the VW Golf had been set on fire.

The other man was arrested by police on firearms charges as he tried to return to his crashed vehicle. He has been released on bail to appear at a south London police station in mid-January.

Officers from Operation Trident, the Metropolitan Police unit which handles shootings in the black community, are still hunting the other men.

Detective Constable Paul Buckley, the investigating officer, said he was keeping an open mind about the motive for the shooting.

He said: “This is a busy stretch of road. It is extremely fortunate other members of the public were not hurt in the incident.

“Reckless and dangerous behaviour such as this cannot be tolerated and I would urge people to contact us if they have any information that could assist the inquiry.”

Ashleigh Partridge, 21, a hairdresser at Streakers in Sutton Common Road, said: “A policeman came in and told us that the shooting began near the traffic lights at Alcorn Close.

“One car started shooting at the car in front as it sped away. He said it was two gangs in separate cars. As the cars approached the roundabout, a women in another car swerved to avoid them and careered into a lamppost.”

Any witnesses to the events in Sutton Common Road or the car being set alight in Wandsworth are asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8589. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.